Now Frosch wasn't too good with directions but he was able to remember where Juvia had passed out and he told Gray exactly where to go. When he saw her instantly dropped to the ground and took hold of her upper body to give her a gentle shake.
"Juvia." He called. "Juvia it's me. Can you hear me?"
She didn't respond. She was still breathing but her face was so red and she was burning up. Acting fast he put Frosch on to his shoulder and lifted the unconscious girl into a bridal hold. Shortly afterward Jellal and Elfman both returned.
"Good news my lady." He started. "I have secured a safe way back to- Oh my goodness what happened?"
Instead of answering Gray just hurried back to the castle as fast as he could while carrying her. Jellal followed after him as did Elfman. He took her to his sister's bedroom and carefully tucked her into the bed. He then sent for Mirajane immediately. Fairies happened to be excellent healers due to their advanced knowledge on plants so if anyone in the Labyrinth was ever sick or hurt a fairy was the best physician, so to speak.
"What's wrong with her?" Gray asked Mirajane after she felt the girl's forehead.
"She's has a very high fever." The white haired fairy answered. "And it's fatal."
"How fatal?"
"I'm not really sure but we need to cool her down. Jellal I want you to bring me a bucket of cold water, a bowl of cold water, and a cloth please."
"Right away." He said leaving.
"Elfman go to my room and get my book on illnesses and remedies."
"Okay." The giant said following after Jellal.
"Gray if you're going to stay here I need you to look away for a moment."
"Why?" He asked.
"Her clothes feel too tight and hot on her right now. I need to change her into something cooler like her night gown."
Gray did as she requested, allowing Mirajane to change Juvia's clothes. After that Jellal returned with what Mirajane had asked for. The cloth and a bowl of cold water she used as compress to place on Juvia's forehead. As for the water in the bucket she turned it into to ice to keep the girl cool. When Elfman gave her the book she started searching the pages as quickly and carefully as she could.
"Oh dear." She said after reading one page.
"What?" Gray asked.
"She's ingested fruit from the Belladonna tree."
"What?! How did that happen?! I had those damn trees poisoned and uprooted a year ago. None of them should be growing or producing fruit."
"I don't know how she found the fruit but she did and she ate it. Now she has a very fatally ill."
"But you can help her right?"
Mirajane hesitated before answering. Fruit from the Belladonna tree was very dangerous and lethal. Very few who had eaten them had survived the illness they suffered from it. There was a cure but the chances of it working were always fifty-fifty.
"Gray I'll do the best I can but you know as well as I do that the chances for someone who's eaten that fruit are very-"
"She can't die!" He cried in a desperate voice. "Do you hear me?! She can't die!"
"I can't promise you that won't happen but I will do whatever I can."
All through the night Mirajane worked around the clock to bring down Juvia's fever and while Elfman and Jellal went to get the herbs she needed to prepare a medicine that would counteract the fruit's illness. Gray and Frosch never left her side once. The whole time the little cat laid by her feet while Gray just said sat by her bedside. None of his servants could recall the last time they had seen him look so scared and desperate.
Around midnight Mirajane made the medicine into a tea which she carefully slipped into Juvia's mouth.
"Now what?" Gray asked.
"Now we wait and hope it works." Mirajane said.
"Is there anything else you can do?"
"I'm sorry but no."
"In that case you can leave now. All of you go get some rest. Thank you for your help."
"What about you sire?" Jellal asked.
"I'll be in bed in a minute."
"As you wish."
They left the bedroom and Gray was the only one who remained. He gently took hold of Juvia's hand and held it to his cheek. It felt so soft but also so cold. Ironic since the rest of her was burning hot.
"Please don't die Juvia." He pleaded helplessly. "If you get better I promise I'll give you anything you want if it's in my power to give. I'll never speak rudely or horribly to you again or give you labor that will cause you pain. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy."
As expected she didn't respond.
"Of course if you don't believe me I can't really blame you." He said sadly. "I can't make anyone happy. I can't even make myself happy. I grin and walk around laughing a lot especially when I pick on either creatures but the truth is it's all fake. I'm sad. I'm always sad. Everyday of my life and I can't feel anything other than sadness. That's why I'm so horrible to everyone. I don't think it's fair that everyone else can find ways to be happy and I can't and I know that's wrong but it's how I've always felt. But am I willing to change. I promise. Just don't go away. Don't go away like every other good person in my life."
Sadly she still remained confined to sleep by her fever so he could only pray from the bottom of his heart that she would live.
Back with Natsu and his group they were currently sitting around another campfire after they had stopped to rest for the evening.
"Tomorrow we'll reach the Bog of Eternal Stench." Lucy said. "Be prepared. Getting through that place should not be easy."
"What's so bad about it?" Natsu asked.
"It's a bog where if you make so much as one wrong move you stink of the most foul odor forever." She said. "It's a terrible place but we have go through there to reach the castle."
"How much longer til we get there?" He asked.
"I can't say. Maybe another week or so."
"A week? I don't how much longer my parents can last. My sister and I have both been gone for days. They're probably freaking out by now."
"Your parents aren't from here right?" Erza said.
"Yep."
"Then maybe you haven't been gone that long. At least not from their perspective."
"What do you mean?"
"The time in our world is different from the time in other worlds. One week in our world could be one day in yours."
"Really?"
"Yes. Of course one week in our world could also be one year in yours."
"A year?!"
"But time is very slow here." Lucy said. "So it's more likely that it's only been like one day or two since you and your sister have been gone back in wherever it is you're from."
"You sure?"
"Not positive but most other worlds have a faster time speed than ours."
"Okay that makes me feel a little better." He sighed in relief. "Man if we were gone for a year I'm positive that it would destroy both my parents."
"If you don't mind me asking what are they like?"
"Oh they're the best. My dad takes me fishing and he helps me with my school work. He's come to everyone of my games. And my mom is an amazing cook. She makes the best cakes and pies. She also makes sure that dad remembers to see my side of things whenever I mess up."
"Mess up?"
"Oh you know. Do something stupid that gets me into trouble. Sometimes when I screw up he get so mad that he forgets to ask me why I did what I did and just skips to the lecture and punishment."
"How many times does he beat you?"
"Beat me?"
"Yes. You said he punishes you doesn't he?"
"Yeah but he doesn't beat me."
"He doesn't?"
"No."
"But he locks you up."
"No. Well...Sometimes he doesn't let me leave the house except to go to school and football practice for a week or two but no he doesn't lock me up."
"Oh..." She said surprised.
"Hold on does your father do that to you?"
She hesitated before answering.
"Yes." She admitted. "He used to beat both us but when brother grew older he started to shield me from the blows so Father saved the beatings for Gray and I was locked in the oubliette. We have one in the castle and he would leave me in there for days."
"Did he feed you?"
"No but our servants would sneak food, water, and blankets to me. The worst cases were when he would forget that he left me there."
"How did you get out when that happened?" Erza asked.
"Once Gray realized that too much time had passed he would swipe Father's keys and let me out. Luckily Father never noticed."
"Lucy that's beyond horrible. No real father would do that to his child. Mine wouldn't."
"Good for you then." She sighed.
"Lucy I-"
"You know I shouldn't have told you this. It's late and I'm tired. Let's all go to sleep."
She laid on her leaf cushion drifted off while Natsu and Erza just stared at her with deep concern.